‘Alien Anthology’ is one of the most comprehensive BD box sets ever made

Like the “Superman” series of films, the first two “Alien” films are the best in the series. At first, the pacing of director Ridley Scott’s “Alien” may seem slow, but when it does reach its climax, you’re clawing at the chair arm and screaming at Ripley (Sigourney Weaver): “To Hell with the damned cat, get out of there!”

James Cameron was tasked to write and direct the second film, and it was here that he showed that his gift for storytelling was no fluke; he could take an established story and make it his own as much as create his own worlds, as he did in “The Terminator.”

I saw “Alien 3″ and “Alien Resurrection” in the theaters. I didn’t like them. In fact, I never opened the two discs that came in the original DVD box set I bought. But now that I have the new “Alien Anthology” BD set, I might have to finally watch them again, as they have director’s cut versions that I can only hope improve my opinions of them.

This is the most comprehensive box set that I’ve ever seen on a film series. There’s so damned much in this box set that all I can do is cut and paste from Amazon.com listing of the content, as I don’t have 60 hours to watch all of it. So here’s the list:

MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience to Access and Control Enhancement Pods

Disc 6: The Anthology Archives

ALIEN

Pre-Production

• First Draft Screenplay by Dan O’Bannon?

• Ridleygrams: Original Thumbnails and Notes?

• Storyboard Archive?

• The Art of Alien: Conceptual Art Portfolio?

• Sigourney Weaver Screen Tests with Select Director Commentary?

• Cast Portrait Gallery

Production??

• The Chestbuster: Multi-Angle Sequence with Commentary?

• Video Graphics Gallery?

• Production Image Galleries?

• Continuity Polaroids?

• The Sets of Alien?

• H.R. Giger’s Workshop Gallery

Post-Production and Aftermath??

• Additional Deleted Scenes?

• Image & Poster Galleries?

• Experience in Terror?

• Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive?

• The Alien Legacy?

• American Cinematheque: Ridley Scott Q&A?

• Trailers & TV Spots

ALIENS

Pre-Production??

• Original Treatment by James Cameron?

• Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Videomatics with Commentary?

• Storyboard Archive?

• The Art of Aliens: Image Galleries?

• Cast Portrait Gallery

Production??

• Production Image Galleries?

• Continuity Polaroids?

• Weapons and Vehicles?

• Stan Winston’s Workshop?

• Colonial Marine Helmet Cameras?

• Video Graphics Gallery?

• Weyland-Yutani Inquest: Nostromo Dossiers

Post-Production and Aftermath??

• Deleted Scene: Burke Cocooned?

• Deleted Scene Montage?

• Image Galleries?

• Special Collector’s Edition LaserDisc Archive?

• Main Title Exploration?

• Aliens: Ride at the Speed of Fright?

• Trailers & TV Spots

ALIEN 3

Pre-Production??

• Storyboard Archive?

• The Art of Arceon?

• The Art of Fiorina

Production??

• Furnace Construction: Time-Lapse Sequence?

• EEV Bioscan: Multi-Angle Vignette with Commentary?

• Production Image Galleries?

• A.D.I.’s Workshop

Post-Production and Aftermath??

• Visual Effects Gallery?

• Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive?

• Alien 3 Advance Featurette?

• The Making of Alien 3 Promotional Featurette?

• Trailers & TV Spots

ALIEN RESURRECTION

Pre-Production??

• First Draft Screenplay by Joss Whedon?

• Test Footage: A.D.I. Creature Shop with Commentary?

• Test Footage: Costumes, Hair and Makeup?

• Pre-Visualizations: Multi-Angle Rehearsals?

• Storyboard Archive?

• The Marc Caro Portfolio: Character Designs?

• The Art of Resurrection: Image Galleries

Production??

• Production Image Galleries?

• A.D.I.’s Workshop

Post-Production and Aftermath??

• Visual Effects Gallery?

• Special Shoot: Promotional Photo Archive?

• HBO First Look: The Making of Alien Resurrection?

• Alien Resurrection Promotional Featurette?

• Trailers & TV Spots

ANTHOLOGY

• Two Versions of Alien Evolution?

• The Alien Saga?

• Patches and Logos Gallery?

• Aliens3D Attraction Scripts and Gallery?

• Aliens in the Basement: The Bob Burns Collection?

• Parodies?

• Dark Horse Cover Gallery?

• Patches and Logos Gallery?

• MU-TH-UR Mode Interactive Experience

You see what I mean? I’ve got a few other discs stacked on my desk that need to be reviewed soon, so I’m not going to be able to dissect each one for you, unfortunately. But there’s enough information here to keep the most devout “Alien” fans entertained for a week or two.

Essentially, this box set has collected every scrap of information that has ever come out on the series, from the 1991/1992 laserdisc releases (which I paid $100 each for, way back then), the 1999 “Legacy” DVD box set (alluded to in the first paragraph), and the 2003 “Quadrilogy” box set (of which I only upgraded “Alien” and “Aliens.”)

The picture transfer is crisp and clean, as we’ve come to expect from BD. That’s one of the reasons I’m willing to finally re-watch “Alien 3″ and “Alien Resurrection,” as they were literally dark films. I wanted to go to the lobby and tell them to turn up the power on the projector bulbs. Roger Ebert has commented on this at length in his Answer Man column.

I have a little story to tell about the time I saw “Aliens” in the theater: I was in the Army, stationed on the Japanese island of Okinawa. Anyone who’s ever been stationed there will tell you that the most populous service on the island is the Marine Corps.

Fox was trying a new program in the summer of 1986; releasing first-run movies to overseas military bases at the same time they were in American multiplexes. Normally, we had to wait 8 months to a year before we got the movies. The second film in the series was “Aliens,” and I went to the Marine Corps theater at Camp Butler to see it.

When the platoon sergeant wakes up out of hypersleep and starts ranting about how it’s “a great day to be in the Corps,” all of the Marines in the packed theater started hooting and barking. But later, when the Marines onscreen started being picked off by the aliens, it got really quiet in the theater. I was as caught up in the action as everyone else, but I was also trying not to laugh at my fellow theater patrons.

Bottom line: This is one of the box sets I’ve been waiting for on BD, so this is a definite recommend for fans of the series. And it’s not a bad choice for Halloween Night viewing, either. The book packaging is pretty sturdy as well, but be careful. You’ll want to keep this box.